An explosion of cheers rang out minutes later as Murray claimed the title that has eluded him for so long, following the three hour and ten minute battle.

Miss Sears put her hands on her head in apparent disbelief while Murray's mother Judy wept.

The Scot threw his hands in the air, smiling broadly before embracing his Serbian opponent. He kicked a tennis ball into the crowd and then dropped to his knees, shaking.

In a Wimbledon tradition, Murray climbed into the player's box where he first hugged coach Ivan Lendl, then girlfriend Kim Sears, along with other members of his team, as well as fellow Olympian Chris Hoy.

The Scot appeared to forget mother Judy, who broke down in tears after his win and could be heard to say "finally" as she hugged other supporters in the box.

Murray returned to hug his mother before she was congratulated by his opponent's parents.

Murray, who held his trophy aloft and kissed it, said: "It feels slightly different to last year, last year was one of the toughest moments of my career.

"It was an unbelievably tough match, so many long games and I don't know how I managed to come through that.

"That final game was unbelievable, three match points."

Paying tribute to the huge support he has received, Murray said: "I understand how much everyone else wanted to see a British winner at Wimbledon so I hope you guys enjoyed it, I did my best."

Asked if he had forgotten mother Judy in his immediate celebrations, he admitted: "I did forget her, I just heard squealing behind me when I was trying to get down and I turned back."

Murray dedicated the game to coach Ivan Lendl, as well as praising his team.

He said: "I have got a great team, they have stuck by me through a lot of tough moments and this one is especially for Ivan as well.

"He did everything to try and win this when he was playing and I am glad I was able to help him out when he is coaching.

"He is a fantastic person, has worked very hard with me, is very patient with me because I am not easy at times."

Praising Djokovic, he said: "I played Novak many times and I think when everyone has finished playing he is going to go down as one of the biggest fighters.

"He has come back so many times from losing positions and he almost did it again today so that made it extra tough."

The win came after fans on Centre Court answered Murray's call to arms today and greeted the star with a deafening roar as he stepped onto the world-famous lawn.

The British number one said the backing of fans was integral to his campaign and the crowd appeared wholly aware of its role this afternoon.

The player was met with a standing ovation as he embarked on his bid for the title and supporters kept up their cacophony of cheers until he claimed the crown more than three hours later.

Temperatures soared at SW19, with the mercury hitting 49.8C (122 Fahrenheit) in the sun on Centre Court just before 2pm, according to club officials.

St John Ambulance said medics treated tennis fans for ailments including dehydration, sunburn and heat exhaustion.

On Murray Mount, hordes of supporters sheltered from the sun under umbrellas, while those on Centre Court fanned themselves in a bid to stay cool.

In the Royal Box, a host of figures from the worlds of showbiz, politics and sport appeared gripped by the action as Murray moved towards his goal - and a position among the greatest British tennis players of all time.

Murray's fellow Olympian and Scot Sir Chris Hoy was also spotted among the hordes who descended on the All England Club for the all-important tie.

Some of the most dedicated among their number began to line up outside the club on Friday to pick up a ticket to watch the action from Murray Mount. By 7am there were already as many people in the queue as could enter the grounds.

Runner-up Djokovic praised the new Wimbledon men's champion, saying: "Congratulations to Andy you absolutely deserve this win, you played incredible tennis."

He also congratulated the Scot's team, saying: "I know how much it means to them and how much it means to all of you guys in the whole country and well done."

He said he was aware of the pressure on Murray, adding: "That makes his success even bigger because I am aware of the pressure that he gets."

He went on: "I gave it all, it was an absolutely pleasure and an honour again to be a part of this final."

Murray's mother said she was an "emotional wreck" following his win but added: "I feel very proud of him."

She said: "That has just got to be the best feeling ever, to watch your son win Wimbledon."

Mrs Murray, who said she had been "shaking" for the past three hours, said Murray would now be feeling a mixture of "disbelief and relief and sheer joy".

"This is the thing he has talked about winning since he was a little boy playing tennis and of course it was a dream that has suddenly become a reality for him," she said.

"I think he will be absolutely over the moon."

She said she had a "good feeling" ahead of the match.

"He has been strong and composed all week, but Novak is such a tough competitor. To bury him you have to play unbelievably well," she said.

"I knew he (Murray) was in a good place and that if he played his best he had a chance to win but you are playing the best player in the world so you've just got to bring your A game and he brought a pretty decent game today."

She added: "They had been out there for three hours and it was so hot, but he was so determined to win it."

Murray's great friend Ross Hutchins, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, appeared stunned by the result and almost lost for words.

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The Editor

Mark Thoma

Liverpool-born Mark joined the Daily Post in January 2014 after seven years as editor of its Merseyside sister title the Liverpool Post. He started out as a weekly news reporter on Wirral Newspapers, and spent seven years at the Daily Post and Liverpool Echo. He was The Press Association's regional correspondent for North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire from 1983 to 1997, before returning to the ECHO as deputy news editor. He has won a number of journalism awards, including the UK Press Gazzette Regional Reporter of the Year award, and in 1993 wrote a book on the James Bulger murder.